Ben Mendelsohn Cast In Ryan Gosling's Directorial Debut

Ryan Gosling has had a commendable career, but hasn’t necessarily worked with the finest directors. He’s no Leonardo DiCaprio, who routinely works with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood and Sir Ridley Scott. Gosling, meanwhile, has Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl), Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines), and Ryan Fleck (Half Nelson).

But those collaborations inform his choices as a storyteller, and he’ll likely bring those indie, offbeat sensibilities as he puts his directorial effort, How to Catch a Monster, together. He recently asked his Drive co-star (and Mad Men beauty) Christina Hendricks to play a single mother whose son uncovers an underwater town. And now MovieHole reports that Gosling wants his Pines co-star, Ben Mendelsohn, for an unidentified character.

As the site reports, Gosling’s looking to direct a “dark fairytale” from a script he wrote himself. The story follows the aforementioned mother and son taking a journey into the mysterious underground location that the boys unearth. Since Mendelsohn can’t play one of Hendricks’ sons (unless Gosling’s really thinking outside of the box), expect the character actor to play a figure in the dark world. Maybe a villain? Perhaps the Monster or the title?

Mendelsohn is on a tear lately, boasting memorable turns in massive films. He had a supporting role in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, playing Daggett. You’ll be able to see him playing Russell in Killing Them Softly, Brad Pitt’s collaboration with Andrew Dominik. And sometime in 2013, audiences will be able to see Pines, which Gosling and Mendelsohn made with Cianfrance. Gosling’s How to Catch a Monster, meanwhile, is due in theaters in 2014, if the actor-director stays on track.